Over the air
Unlock your iPhone by IMEI
Your iPhone is unlocked on the network side, from its IMEI. It finishes by itself the next time the phone sees Wi-Fi — there is no code to type, nothing to install, and the handset never leaves you.
- Permanent It survives software updates and factory resets.
- No account, no phone calls We never need your carrier account, a password or a PIN.
- Keep using it throughout Nothing is posted anywhere and nothing is installed.
- Refunded if it cannot be done If we cannot unlock your device, you get your money back.
Step 1 of 3
Unlock your iPhone by IMEI
Simple, remote IMEI-based unlocking for iPhone devices in 3 steps with DirectUnlocks.
Quickly and easily unlock your iPhone remotely:
Provide your device details
Choose the network of the phone you wish to unlock and supply the IMEI number. We'll autodetect the model for you.
You can get your IMEI by dialling *#06# on your phone.
We process your unlock
As soon as your order is placed, our system securely contacts your carrier and begins the unlock process. You can follow your progress live on our tracking page. Most unlocks complete within 15 minutes — complex cases may take up to 24 hours.
Phone is ready
Once processed, the unlock remains active even after software updates or resets. You’ll receive confirmation by email and push notification. Apple devices are processed remotely, and others receive an authorised unlock code.
Over the air
How an iPhone unlock actually finishes
Everything happens remotely, from your IMEI. Your iPhone never leaves you and nothing is installed on it.
Wherever your iPhone started
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AT&T
Including Cricket and AT&T Prepaid.
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T-Mobile
Including Metro and Mint.
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Verizon
Including Visible and Total Wireless.
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Any other carrier
Resellers, prepaid brands and carriers outside the US.
It ends exactly the same way
- You send your IMEI Dial *#06# on the iPhone, or find it in Settings, General, About.
- We unlock it on the network The change is recorded against your IMEI. Nothing happens on the handset yet, and you can keep using it as normal.
- The iPhone finishes on its own Put in the new SIM or activate the eSIM, connect to Wi-Fi, and it completes in about a minute.
At no point in that sequence is there a code to type. iPhones do not have one.
What you will and will not be asked for
- No code, PIN or sequence to type. Not on our side and not on the phone.
- No app, profile or software to install. Nothing is downloaded to the iPhone and nothing runs on it.
- No carrier account access. No password, no account number and no permission from the account holder — which is why a second-hand iPhone is no harder than one you bought new.
- No store visit and nothing to post. Keep using the iPhone normally the whole time.
All we need is the 15-digit IMEI and an email address to send the result to.
More than iPhones
Cellular iPads and cellular Apple Watch models carry their own IMEI and are unlocked exactly the same way, with nothing to type on those either.
The one thing to get right is which IMEI you send us. A watch or an iPad has a different IMEI from the iPhone sitting next to it, so read it off the device you actually want unlocked.
Legal, and your warranty is untouched
Unlocking a phone you own is legal in the United States. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act of 2014 settled that, and the wireless industry's own Consumer Code commits carriers to unlocking eligible devices. The difference is that we are not bound by the conditions a carrier attaches — being mid-contract or still paying the handset off does not stop us.
This is an IMEI unlock, recorded on the network side. Nothing on the handset is modified, so a warranty inspection or a trade-in check has no change to find, and your photos, apps and messages stay exactly as they are.
Locked because there is a balance on the account?
Carriers refuse to unlock a phone while there is an unpaid bill, an active instalment plan, or an account in arrears. That is a rule about your account, not a technical limit on the handset — and it is not a rule that binds us.
What changes
We unlock by IMEI, through the manufacturer's database. We never ask your carrier for permission, so the conditions they attach — handset paid off, six months of service, account in good standing — do not apply to us.
The phone accepts any SIM once it is done, in your country or abroad, and the unlock is permanent. It survives a factory reset and a software update.
What does not change
What you owe is still owed. Unlocking changes which SIM the phone accepts — it does not close your account, cancel an instalment plan, or clear a balance, and your carrier can still pursue the debt.
We will not tell you otherwise. The handset becomes yours to use on any network; the account stays between you and your carrier.
One thing this does not fix: if the IMEI has been reported lost or stolen, the phone is barred from that country's networks and unlocking does not lift the bar. Check the IMEI first — it is free.
Unlocking an iPhone — Frequently Asked Questions
Codes, and why there are none
Where do I enter my iPhone unlock code?
Nowhere — there is no screen on an iPhone that accepts one, and we will not send you one. The lock is a record held against your IMEI on the network side, and we change that record. The phone then finishes by itself.
Somewhere else sold me an iPhone unlock code. What is it?
Nothing your iPhone can use. There is no code entry for the network lock on any iPhone, so whatever was sent to you cannot be entered anywhere. If you paid for it, that is a matter for your card issuer.
How do I know it worked, if nothing arrives to type?
We email you when the unlock is applied, and you can follow progress on the tracking page throughout. To confirm it on the handset, put in a SIM from another network — it connects instead of showing a SIM-not-supported message.
Do I have to connect it to a computer?
No. A Wi-Fi connection with the new SIM or eSIM in place is enough. There is no cable, no desktop software and nothing to download.
Whether we can unlock yours
Can you unlock it while I am still paying the iPhone off?
Yes. An outstanding instalment balance or an active contract does not stop us. You still owe the balance to your carrier — unlocking does not cancel the debt — but it no longer stops you using another network.
I bought the iPhone second-hand and the account was never mine.
That is fine, and it is exactly the case carriers refuse. We do not need the account holder, the account number or any permission from them — only the IMEI.
I do not know which network it is locked to.
Use our IMEI network checker before you order. It reads the carrier off the IMEI, so you are not guessing at the dropdown.
What if the iPhone is reported lost or stolen?
We do not unlock handsets reported lost or stolen. An unlock removes a carrier lock, not a blacklist report, so a barred IMEI would stay barred anyway. We check this as part of processing your order.
Afterwards
Does it stay unlocked after an iOS update?
Yes. The unlock is held against the IMEI, not in the software on the phone, so iOS updates and factory resets do not undo it.
Will it work with an eSIM?
Yes. Once unlocked the iPhone accepts an eSIM from any compatible carrier, including travel eSIMs, and on models that support it you can run a physical SIM and an eSIM at the same time.
Does unlocking affect my warranty or my data?
Neither. Nothing on the handset is modified, so a warranty inspection has no change to find, and your photos, apps and messages are untouched.
Ready when you are
Enter your 15-digit IMEI. We identify your exact iPhone and confirm what it needs before you pay anything.
Not sure which network your phone is locked to? Check it with our IMEI network checker.
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Popular iPhone models
The models we unlock most often. Yours does not have to be on the list — enter your IMEI and we will identify it.
Unlock your iPhone today
Enter your 15-digit IMEI. We identify your exact iPhone and confirm what it needs before you pay anything.
Not sure which network your phone is locked to? Check it with our IMEI network checker.